Trenton Quiocho is a Tacoma-based artist dedicated to the craft of glass and youth development through art. He began his explorations in glass as a student in Tacoma and has continued with the material for over a decade. He has worked as a glassblower and hot shop technician with local organizations including Chihuly Boathouse, Glassybaby, Hilltop Artists and the Museum of Glass. Quiocho also works as an instructor for the Museum of Glass’ Hot Shop Heroes program, Pilchuck Glass School, and Hilltop Artists.

 

Quiocho has received several prestigious scholarships to expand his practice and continue his studies, including the John and Mary Shirley Scholarship in Glass from Pratt Fine Arts Center, an Emerging Artist award from the Museum of Glass, and several scholarships from Hilltop Artists, where he continues to teach today.

 

Artist Statement

Through glass, I want to explore the ways in which I can preserve the rich histories, folktales and Filipino traditions that have been lost through colonization. I’m inspired by the textures, sights, and lived experiences of diasporic Filipinos and their ancestors, and I want to honor the Manongs who worked in the sugar cane plantations in Hawaii and tilled the land in California, the Alaskeros who worked in the salmon canneries in Alaska and Washington, and the motherland from which they came from.

 

Glass provides the opportunity to create a revitalized, visual language that speaks to this cultural iconography, and through this, breathe new life into the folktales and stories behind them. Creating these objects affirms my connection to this history, allows me to explore and understand the symbolism behind them, and ignites the spark that fuels my curiosity in learning more about Filipino culture and history.

 

This deep exploration has given me a new vision for my craft, and has brought me greater purpose as an artist and craftsperson. The journey of reconnecting with my cultural heritage has allowed me to shift my personal narrative as a glassblower, and has highlighted the ways in which I possess the same traits as those who came before me.